Steering-gear.



G. J. ENGLE, B. W. FREEMAN &'D. E. NEAL.

STEERING GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28, 1910. 1, 29,052 Patented June 11,1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

G. J. ENGLE, B. W. FREEMAN & D. E. NEAL.

, STEERING GEAR. APPLICATION FILED M3128; 1910.

Patented, June 11, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

witnesses Z UNITED STATES agrnnr OFFICE.

orIAn ns' J. 'ENGLE, BERT w. FREEMAN, AND DANIEL E. EAL, or MOLINE, ILLINOIS.

STEERING-GEAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 11, 1912,.

Application filed March 28, 1910. .Serial No. 552,032.

To all whom it may concam:

=Be it known that we, CHARLES J. ENGLE BERT W. FREEMAN, and DANIEL E. NEAL, citizens of the United States, residing at Moline, in the county of Rock Island and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Steering-Gear, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is a steering gear designed more particularly for motor vehicles, and it is the object of the invention to provide a.

consists in a novel construction and arrange-.

ment of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed, reference being -.had to the drawings hereto annexed in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the front end of the motor vehicle, partly broken away, showing the application of the invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view, partly broken away. Fig. 4 is a sectional detail of the yielding connection hereinafter referred to. v

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 5 denotes the car frame; 6,.one of the side walls of the car; and 7, the front seat. On the frame 5, behind the wall 6, is mounted. a standard 8 having a lateral extension 9 at its upper end which is secured to the seat bottom, on the under side thereof. On the extension 9 are bearin s 10 in which is journaled a horizontal sha t 11 which also passes through a bearing opening in the standard 8, and through an opening in the wall 6 to the outside thereof, the outer endof said shaft being fitted with a hand wheel 12 loeated close to the side wall, so as to be within easy reach of the driver occupying the seat 7 The rim of the hand wheel 12 is fitted with radially extendinggrips or' hand holds.

Onthe shaft 11 is fast a bevel gear 13 which is in mesh with a bevel gear 14 fast on the upper end of a vertical shaft 15 journaled in a bearing arm 16 projecting from the standard 8. On the shaft 15 is fixed a collar 17 which engages-the top of the hearing arm, whereby the shaft is prevented from dropping-down to disengagev its bevel gear from the bevel gear of the shaft 11. To the lowerend of the shaft 15 is made fast an arm 18 formed at its extremity with a ball 18 working in altube 19, to one end of which tube a rod 20 is connected. The

tube hasa slit through which the arm passes into the same. The ball is received between two cupped washers 19 between which, and the respective ends of the tube, are interposed coiled springs 19". One. end of'the tube is closed by a removable screw cap 19. These parts provide a slightly yielding conuection between the shaft 15 and the rod 20.

The front axle 22 of the car is provided with the usual steering knuckles 23 which carry rearwardly extending arms 24 connected by a rod 25. as usual, so that the two front 'wheels ma swing together. From the'arm of one othe steering knuckles extendsa lateral branch 26 which is connected at its extremity to a'tube 27 similar to the tube 19, andin the same manner as the connection between the tube 19 and th arm 18'. The tube 27 is secured to the front end of the rod 20. This structure provides a slightly yielding connection between the rod 20 and the arm 26.. I

The car is steered by rotating the shaft 11, which is done by means of the hand wheel 12. The motion of the shaft 11 is transmitted to the steering-arm by the gears 13 and 14, shaft 15, arm 18 and rod 20. The parts are few and simple, and can be readily applied to any ordinary motor vehicle. Inasmuch as the'hand wheel 12 is located on the outside of the vehicle body, and the shaft 11 is under the-seat, these parts are entirely out of the way of the driver occupying the seat, and the position of the hand wheel is also suchthat it can be readily operated \with one hand, leaving the other hand of the driver free to operate the brake and other levers. 1

Steering mechanisms such as heretofore generally used have been of three general types to wit, that in which a steering wheel is supported in front of the driver; that type in which a shaft extends upwardly at one side of the seat and is operated by a handle extending in front of thedrit err and that in which the mechanism is operated by an upwardly extending side lever. While all of these types are efficient while the machine is being propelled under its own power, it is practically impossible to ing the 'seat of the car.

use them for steering the machine While'it is being pushed, unless a person is occupy- By providing a steering Wheel such as shown in the drawings and which has a plurality of radially extending handles, said Wheel can be easily operated by a person standing on the ground at one side of the machine. At least one of the handles or grips is always at'a point Where it can be conveniently grasped while the machine is being pushed. The provision of a plurality of handles is also advantageous because the occupant of the seat can grasp any one of them for the purpose of actuating the steering mechanism, thus enabling him to hold his hands normally in the position most convenient ,to him.

What is claimed is: v

The combination With a vehicle'body and a seat, of an upstanding shaft journaled Within the body and under the seat, a laterally extending shaft journaled under the seat, and extending beyond one side of the body, means for transmitting motion for said laterally extending shaft to the upstanding shaft, steering Wheels, rneans operated by the upstanding shaft for shifting the Wheels, a wheel supported in a plane parallel with one side of the body, said Wheel being secured to the laterally ext-ending shaft outside of and close to the seat, and radially extending handles upon the peripheral portion of said Wheel, certain of the handles constantly extending upwardly and forwardly beyond the seat.

In testimony that We claim the foregoing as our 'OWII, We have hereto affixed our signatures in the presence of two Witnesses.

' CHAS. J. ENGLE.

BERT W. FREEMAN.

DANIEL E. NEAL.

l/Vitnesses:

Maexus Orson, ANDREW OLSON. 

